Originally Posted by
cepheid
Can anyone explain that? How is it that a refare can net me a lower price yet a completely new ticket cannot? In this case, the new ticket was in the same booking class but a different fare basis (one that seems even LESS restricted because it requires only a 7-day advance purchase rather than 14 days), however I've seen this happen on previous tickets even when the booking class changes, which would seem to imply availability in the lower fare bucket... but such an implication is not supported by the fact that a dummy booking ends up with a higher fare.
Food for thought...
I believe three different things can happen. One is that the exact fare you bought has gone down in price; the other is that a related fare becomes cheaper; the third is an entirely new chepaer fare. For example, maybe the LRA7NR5 fare you bought has dropped. Or the LRA7NR5 you bought is now more expensive than a LRA3N3 fare. Or maybe some T fare has opened up. The thing is, fare rules still apply, including advance purchase requirements. So let's say you purchase a LRA7NR5 on November 1 for December 1 travel. On November 18, LRA7NR5 drops by $50. If you were to buy the ticket from scratch on Nov. 18, you couldn't get the fare because it's too soon before travel; but the refare function says "if LRA7NR5 had been available on Nov. 1, you would have taken it" so you get it on Nov. 18. Another possibility is that the L bucket is empty on the specific flights you want, but not on other days. So when you try to buy a fresh ticket on your dates/times, nothing cheapo is left. But you're holding an L ticket! So you get the refare.
Good agents know how to check these things, but they're few and far between. Most times, I see a drop on the website, but ticket agents don't (this could, of course, suggest the fares involved are "internet only").
Good luck!